"We could have made only one belief, but for each peoples we have appointed different
laws and rites, so instead; compete in good works and argue kindly;
for there is no compulsion in religion." Qur'an 2:256, 5:48, 22:37, 29:46

Islam In Alaska

This Webmasters rough definition of Islam

This webmaster believes that a genuine Islam is not a religion, an interpretation
of Sunnah or Hadith etc, or even a follower of any certain person.
Instead Islam (means submission) is both the manner and extent of effort
exerted in the sincere and faithful practice of ANY revealed religion: the
putting as first priority and the center around which ones life revolves --
to love God and His creations before ALL other priorities. ANYTIME, ANY person
begins to love ANYTHING else more than this, without effort to cease, especially
when he loves his religion more than God and His creations -- then this
becomes classic SHIRK; especially in Islam.

The
Islam of any individual is only knowable to Allaah, and as the time of the
Prophet so clearly shows not even any guess can be made until AFTER the death
of the individual and even then such a guess is only a little better than suspect.

An
Islamic Ummah (or community) on the
other hand is no guess at all, as the Qur'an promises only success to those who
actually PRACTICE real Islam (submission to G-d). A real Islamic Ummah,
this webmaster believes, can ONLY occur in the same order as did the Prophet's
Islamic Ummah, just as Sayed Qutb has so beautifully pointed out. And, not
for any other reasons than pure common sense. A genuine Islamic Ummah can
only evolve from successful completion of each of the following steps and only
in the correct order (for obvious reasons).

1. - Only individuals
who strongly long for earthly justice and kindness must gather into a core
group from which those who are only talk are not invited. These individuals
must be perceived by the average normal person OUTSIDE THE CORE GROUP as
both doers and servers; and further perceived as absolutely trustworthy, honest,
loyal, most kindly, least threatening, with impeccable manners and respectfulness
and most importantly totally upfront and open -- not afraid for ANY to know
either their name OR address, with no secret dealings or anonymous allegations;
and again, AS PERCEIVED BY THE OUTSIDERS.
2. - This core group then begins
to form a larger community existing within the normal community becoming increasingly
active in speaking out ONLY, in the kindest of manners possible, against
existing oppression. For quite some time, even after a hijrah, only
the most minimal of individual (when there is no other choice but death) defensive
fighting and ABSOLUTELY NO group effort (DEFENSIVE or offensive) is permitted
at this stage. The ethical and piety standards within the initial core
community must remain at the highest levels of strictness.
3. This
community's preaching is restricted to only those words which are already well
established ACTIONS as seen by their ALREADY well existing reputation among OUTSIDERS.
This foundational community must be built upon REPUTATION not theology
or inner intent.
4. - ALL or ANY leaders must be BLINDLY followed,
that is FOLLOWED, not OBEYED. Their is NO OBEDIANCE in Islam, only willingness.
Any leader must be constantly consulting with his followers.
NO-ONE becomes a leader based upon status, charisma, strength, wealth, knowledge
(no matter how extensive), ethnicity, age and etc.; but only by being well EXPERIENCED
by his followers for: piety, humility, fairness and trustworthyness
and USEFUL SKILLS. No Muslim can be a leader whose only skills are good speaking
or extensive knowledge, he MUST posses well practiced and useful skills
to the extent of his years of age.
5. - ANY community, of ANY faith, whose
reputation becomes widely established as standing up for the justice of the oppressed
coming BEFORE personal welfare, wealth or status WILL incur harrassment.
Until ANY community has ACTUALLY incurred
oppression and or harrassment
from the mainstream communitiy (for ONLY this reason) within which it resides
it HAS NOT YET REACHED STAGE 5.

These are, roughly, the ONLY five
pillars that can create an Islamic EMBRYONIC Ummah. The word embryonic
is used because this is STILL NOT YET a living Islamic Ummah, but like an embryo
-- only a living potential. These steps can only occur in roughly this
order -- for obvious common sense reasons. Islam must ALWAYS be logical.

To transform an embryonic community into a living community
REQUIRES
a Hijrah or total separation.

There MUST BE a physical,
geographical to some extent and visual separation sufficent so that the Muslim
can be easily recongnized, "from 200 yards with bad eyesight" from the
normal community he came from. There is NO other way for a community to
become a light intense enough to attract others to come out from their darkness
and attempt the DIFFICULT crossover to a whole new path. Ten thousand
candles scattered about here and there are NOT a bright light for guidance/example
until those candles are brought into a tight single group. Islam NEVER
attempts to cure darkness and ignorance (Jahaliya NOT kufr) by darkness but only
by light: "from darkness into light." AND -- that light must include
the

ROCK SOLID
REPUTATION

among OUTSIDERS, that
their struggle to join the community will be met with a sacrificial level of
support from the already existing community -- as in the ANSAR (The Helpers,
in the time of the Prophet). In other words, where possible each new member must
become FULLY, at least temporarily, adopted into a Muslim household,
until the intial transformation is complete.

UNTIL THIS POINT
THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE MINIMAL OF QUR'AN AND ONLY THE FIVE PILLARS -- NO HADITH OR ANY OTHER FORMS OF "advanced theology," and especially
NO fighting Jihad of ANY kind. These are embellsihments to make an ALREADY
WELL ESTABLISHED Islamic Ummah into beautiful, because to be Islam IT MUST
ALWAYS BE in a constant state of greater and greater perfecting of one's Deen.
NO AMOUNT OF PERFECTION OF THESE EMBELLISHMENTS OR OF "SCHOLARSHIP"
CAN SUSTITUTE IN THE PLACE OF ANY OF THESE above listed prerequisite STEPS.
Nascent Islam occured in exactly the order as described above; including the
NO FIGHTING JIHAD part (13+ years).

HOWEVER,
it is NOT true that
AFTER this point that Jihad in Islam is only defensive. Muslim apologists
and modernists are simply NOT being honest when they rant on as if Islam was
the model for Ghandi. After this point Jihad, the fighting style, becomes
mandatory for both defensive and offensive (to free and assist the oppressed
-- ONLY) purposes. The key is that until this point is reached as a community,
no Ummaah will be assuredly capable to perform the fighting Jihad in the
"MANNER OF ALLAAH". The term Holy War was originanated by the "Christian"
Crusaders NOT Muslims. But this is a very useful term to describe
the major difference between the concepts of Holy War in Christianity vs. Islam.
The crusades were a Holy War because of WHY war was started.
In
Islam, Holy War means the MANNER in which a war is fought, NOT WHY: "fight in the
Way of Allaah." In Islam ALL OR ANY war can only be fought in a manner that
OTHERS would perceive as exemplary, so exemplary that even many of the enemy would
define the manner of the fighting as Holy, the way anyone might expect a G-d
who prefers to be called the Most Gracious and Most Merciful; the manner in which
He would be expected to fight a war. Just EXACTLY as the Qur'an is constantly
reminding us, the Truth is Clear from error. Any child can define the
manner of fighting of the average war. This why fighting is PROHIBITED in
Islam to indviduals, UNLESS acting in the name of G-d and Ummaah; and is prohibited
for any reasons UNTIL there exists a rock solid Ummah with a rock solid
reputation as those who can be DEPENDED upon to act in the Holiest of Manners.
The non-muslim authored histories of various times are profuse with incidents
of small numbers of Muslims defeating large numbers of enemies because their
REPUTATION for war and treatment of prisoners was such that these historians
frequently offered as the excuse for Muslim victories was because: "the subjects
wanted to be defeated." Many non-muslim historians offer these types of
explanations for how so few Muslims were able to just walk right through while
"conquering" Spain to create Andalusia.

ISLAMIC UMMAAH
IS ONLY ISLAMIC WHEN IT'S REPUTATION, NOT THEOLOGY, GIVES LIVING MEANING TO THE
LIGHT OF G-D AS:

THAT DIETY WHOSE ONLY PATH TO PEACE IS THROUGH THE
PERFECTION OF GRACIOUS AND MERICFUL BEHAVIOR IN ALL THINGS; BUT ESPECIALLY WAR.

Theological
questions and procedural details can NEVER build Islam,
but only enhance a strong Islam that ALREADY has arrived into a solid enduring
existance.

There exists on this whole earth today, only One example
of a living community and light of guidance to humankind after the ORIGINAL
Sunnaah of the Prophet, that I know of. They are the Amish and Hutterite
communities. Their Women cover and are separate and subordinant; they separate
the genders and are openly opposed to modern "Amercian" values. Yet
everyone loves and defends them -- why? Because they LIVE these exact steps above;
all FIVE of them.

Until, Muslims begin to
live Islam
way
more than they
TALK Islam
and EARN a similar REPUTATION as both
the Amish
and our ORIGINAL Ummah; Islam will continue it's ONGOING descent
into the dungeons of hate, violence and tryanny.

The above is a rough
draft which will be gradually reworked until completed. The original will
remain available online. Errors of opinion brought to this webmasters
attention, and agreed with, will be openly acknowledged online.

shakur-abdel-Haleem

Thank you for visiting with us, as-Salamoo Alayeekum (or, peace be with you)
Comments appreciated. islaminformation@alaska.com or recorded information/voice
mail 1-907-566-3549